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Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. The metal occurs naturally in its pure, free form (native silver), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining. Silver has long been valued as a precious metal, and is used as an investment, to make ornaments, jewelry, high-value tableware, utensils (hence the term silverware), and currency coins. History of Silver Silver in European folklore has long been traditionally believed to be an antidote to various maladies and mythical monsters. Notably, silver was believed to be a repellent against vampires (this primarily originates from its holy connotations; also, mirrors were originally polished silver, and as such, vampires allegedly cannot be seen in them because they have no soul) and it was also believed that a werewolf, in his bestial form, could only be killed by a weapon or bullet made of silver. This has given rise to the term "silver bullet", which is used to describe things that very effectively deal with one specific problem. In heraldry, the tincture argent, in addition to being shown as silver, can also be shown as white. Occasionally, the word "silver" is used rather than argent; sometimes this is done across-the-board, sometimes to avoid repetition of the word "argent" in blazon. Traditionally, the silver bullet is the only kind of bullet for firearms that is effective against a witch, vampire, monster, or a person living a charmed life.The best known magical creature which is vulnerable to a silver bullet is a werewolf. The werewolf's vulnerability to silver actually dates back to the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, in which a gigantic wolf is killed by a person wielding a gun loaded with silver bullets. In the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale of The Two Brothers, a bullet-proof witch is shot down by silver buttons, fired from a gun. In different traditions, silver is thought to be the metal associated with the moon and with the human soul. It is likely that these associations have contributed to the legend of the silver bullet. How Is It Used Against The Supernatural? Silver seems to be the only element on earth able to hold down and bind a vampire. Even the oldest vampires are unable to free themselves from the burning bounds of silver. To put a vampire in captivity, it seems all the kidnappers have used silver chains; around both wrists, both legs and the neck. The silver itself burns into the flesh of the vampire. Once the silver is removed however, it isn't long before the vampire is then healed and back to its normal strength. The older the vampire, the quicker it is able to bounce back to full strength...depending on the torture the vampire has endured and how fast it can receive blood. While silver is more oftenly used against vampires it can also be used against Lycans and Witches . For lycans it has a similar affect as it does with vampires, as the silver itself burns into the flesh of the lycan. Silver bullets are often also used by hunters to protect themselves from wild wolves on the full moon. While it does not kill them it will put them in a tremendous amount of pain until they are able to get the bullet out. With witches the affect isn't as nearly as harsh, as it is simply used to bind their magic, as something as simple as silver handcuffs can cause their magic to become blocked. Category:Objects Category:Vampires Category:Witches Category:Lycans Category:Silver